DETROIT – When it comes to a welcome back, this is easily the biggest of the year so far for the White Sox when it comes to injuries.
But keeping up with trends over the last two years, it also had to include another player leaving the lineup.
Pitcher Lance Lynn, who was a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award in 2021, makes his first start for the White Sox in the 2022 season against the Tigers tonight at Comerica Park.
He is returning after he had to have a procedure to repair a small tendon tear in his right knee that had actually been bothering him since the second half of last season. Lynn had to leave a spring training game in March because of it and the decision was made to fix the injury even though it cost him the first two months of the season.
Acquired in a trade with the Rangers before the 2021 season, Lynn was the top starter for the American League Central division champions. The All-Star was 11-6 with a 2.69 ERA and was the team’s Game 1 starter against the Astros in the AL Division Series.
Unfortunately, he won’t have his main catcher when he does as the team put Yasmani Grandal on the 10-day IL with lower back spasms. Initially, it was thought that he wouldn’t have to stay on the IL after he left Saturday’s loss to the Rangers with hamstring tightness, but the thinking changed on Monday.
The injury comes at a bad time for Grandal as he was finally starting to emerge from his hitting slump to start the year in June. He was hitting .308 for the month with six RBI and had a five-game hitting streak going when he was forced out of the lineup.
In his third season with the White Sox, Grandal is hitting .185/.294/.237 with two homers and 15 RBI in 50 games.